20 October 2014 - Consumers are generally satisfied with fixed line telephone, mobile telephone, fixed broadband and mobile broadband services in Singapore.
Singapore, 20 October 2014 | For Immediate Release
Consumers satisfied with telecom services in Singapore but more can be done
Consumers are generally satisfied with fixed line telephone, mobile telephone, fixed broadband and mobile broadband services in Singapore. Out of a highest score of 5 (“very satisfied”), all services achieved ratings of above 3.5 for the three factors of “quality of service”, “price competitiveness of the service offerings” and “variety of services”. These were the results of the most recent Consumer Awareness and Satisfaction Survey (“CASS”) commissioned by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore’s (“IDA”).
To monitor the service quality of operators and consumer satisfaction, IDA has been conducting the CASS with the aim of measuring and tracking shifts in the perception of selected telecommunication services in Singapore. The survey is now into its fifth cycle , with a total of 1,500 respondents interviewed door-to-door between December 2013 and March 2014. Local consumers were asked about their awareness, as well as subscription and usage patterns, of the telecommunication services. In addition, they were surveyed on their satisfaction with the services that they had used.
Consumers also displayed a high level of awareness regarding the terms of telecom services in Singapore which would help them avoid incurring unnecessary fees and charges. In terms of awareness of early termination charges, about 94% of subscribers to mobile telephone services, 80% of subscribers to fixed broadband services and 94% of subscribers to mobile broadband services were aware of such charges.
Awareness of the terms and conditions for mobile data roaming was also high. For example, about 69% of mobile broadband subscribers were aware of international mobile roaming charges of their telecom service provider, 82% of mobile broadband subscribers were aware of the local data usage bill cap that would be applicable to their mobile data services, and 62% were aware of the amount they would be charged for excess data usage on their mobile broadband plan. A significant proportion of overall respondents were also aware that they could disable international data roaming (90%) and activate a data roaming cap (72%).
CASS 2014 also looked into consumers’ usage of payphones, with only 8% of respondents having used a payphone in the preceding six months. More than half of respondents also had the opinion that payphones were no longer a necessity, with 88% of respondents with this opinion citing that they “already subscribed to a mobile phone”.
In terms of customer care provided by the three major telecom companies, respondents were generally less satisfied with “hotline waiting time” as compared to other aspects such as the “time taken to resolve complaints” and the “competency of customer service officer”. About 33% of respondents also suggested that service providers should look into reducing “hotline waiting times”. This was despite satisfaction with hotline waiting times actually improving since 2010 for all three major telecom service providers.
Mr Leong Keng Thai, IDA’s Deputy Chief Executive and Director General (Telecoms and Post), said, “It is encouraging to know that consumers are generally satisfied with telecom services in Singapore. Nevertheless, service providers should continue to place emphasis on customer engagement and servicing as one of the key retention strategies. Service providers should look beyond traditional customer service solutions such as telephone hotlines and be innovative, such as using live chat software solutions, to shorten waiting time and boost customer satisfaction.”
Interested parties can access the survey results here (770.82KB).
ISSUED BY INFOCOMM DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE
About Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
The mission of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) is to develop information technology and telecommunications within Singapore with a view to serve citizens of all ages and companies of all sizes. IDA does this by actively supporting the growth of innovative technology companies and start-ups in Singapore, working with leading global IT companies as well as developing excellent information technology and telecommunications infrastructure, policies and capabilities for Singapore. For more news and information, visit www.ida.gov.sg.
For media clarifications, please contact:
Adrian CHAN (Mr)
Manager
Corporate and Marketing Communications Division
Email: adrian_km_chan@imda.gov.sg
Angie LOW (Ms)
Senior Manager
Corporate and Marketing Communications Division
Email: angie_low@imda.gov.sg
Note to Editor
1 Earlier rounds of CASS were conducted in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2010.
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